Stage 2
10:00 - 11:00
English
Discussion
Everyone
African Fashion – Global Sales: Creative Shopping Solutions

Kurzthese

The fashion industry today is worth 3 trillion USD, but Africa accounts for a mere 1% of that. Africa’s lack of representation on the global fashion scene has largely been due to lack of infrastructure and under-developed retail sectors. However in the last year, with Africa being the only continent to skip through industrialisation eras and enter directly into the digital age, fashion brands on the continent are seizing the opportunity to present themselves to the world.

Beschreibung

Largely bypassing physical retail and traditional distribution methods for m-Commerce stores, Africa’s fashion industry is diving headfirst into the digital age. Countries such as Nigeria and Kenya, despite being Africa’s largest economies have only had organised retail establishments since 2012, the large majority of apparel purchases prior to that being made either abroad, within informal markets or custom-produced by local tailors.

Though in growth, the situation is still no different for many countries, with the brick-and-mortar infrastructures still lagging behind. Creatives have are seeking their own solutions to bring their garments to the market.

From brands incorporating image recognition and AI into their online stores to IOT and advanced fabric technology, this talk is all about FASHIONTech Africa.

This panel discussion will visit the current state of affairs, look at the recent developments and consequences of such a rapid development and what this opportunity means for the African fashion industry as a whole. The discussion will invite key people from social media institutions, start-up founder, and fashion brand owners or executives, and will be a platform for members of the public to finally ask the questions they've been needing answers from.